The best video games for Xbox One X and Xbox One S

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The Xbox One has been around for four whole years now, and in that time, it has accumulated a pretty great selection of games. In case you're looking for a new one, or want to know what's on offer before taking the plunge on a new one, here's our list of the best Xbox One games out there, for both the Xbox One X and the Xbox One S.

Dishonored 2 & Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Dishonored fits into that curiously named ‘immersive sim’, following a legacy laid down by games like Thief and Deus Ex. Many of Arkane’s alumni were involved in these games, and the skill shows. The coastal town of Karnaca is a remarkable creation, with tales of a complex city divided by class built into its very walls and hidden in corners as its often unseen denizens scribble desperate notes. As playgrounds, the individual but wide-open levels teem with detail and opportunity. Each manages to give you the freedom to operate how you choose, while many take devilish ideas and weave them into one-off works of near genius. This is a game, and a developer, that deeply respects and enables player interaction, while also finding room for brilliant authorial flourishes, making it essential for any would-be assassin. The standalone DLC which serves as a prequel, Death of the Outsider, is utterly brilliant, too, offering a different but just as satisfying take on the formula.

Best for Stealth fans and aficionados of fine level design and aesthetic.

Overwatch

Blizzard’s rambunctious multiplayer shooter has become a cult phenomenon, its roster of colourful characters inspiring cos-play and fan fiction. But most importantly, Overwatch is a supremely balanced and enormously fun competitive blaster, with varied character types and match-ups making it as accessible to newcomers as it is compelling for veterans. Then there is that heralded Blizzard support, with constant updates, including new game-modes and maps, keeping things fresh.

The Witcher 3

One of the richest fantasy RPGs in an age and the closest thing video games has to its own Game of Thrones. The Witcher 3 once again casts you as the grizzled Geralt of Rivia as he pursues his lost adopted daughter across the Nilfgaardian Empire as a spectral army darkens the land. And despite being the third in the series, it is easy enough for a newcomer to jump into this series based on Andrej Sapkowski’s novels. Fantastic combat and characters, with one of the most stunning game-worlds out there stuffed with distraction, The Witcher 3 is a must. If you have the time to dedicate to it, that is.

Best for Those with enough time and inclination to embroil themselves in a rich fantasy world.

Rocket League

It’s car football! A simple and engaging pitch executed to near perfection by developer Psyonix. Rocket League’s sci-fi aesthetic and blistering competitiveness has made it one of the go-to games for online multiplayer this generation, even for players with little interest in either football or driving. It’s the skill involved, the satisfaction of a fantastic flipping-save or a last minute howitzer driven in off the bonnet. All the highlight excitement of real sport with little of the baggage.

Best for Players looking for a highly competitive, skillful multiplayer that's the epitome of easy to learn, hard to master.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Following the successful reboot of Lara Croft in 2012, this sequel is a fantastic crystallisation of the new direction. Here Lara is braving the wilds of Siberia in search of the lost city of Kitezh. The game’s gritty combat, with its focus on stealth and survival, is fierce and flexible while the introduction of open areas and more puzzling tombs reward exploration.

Cuphead

For one, it looks like a living cartoon, with the classic animation style of the 1930s captured wonderfully in everything from visuals to soundtrack. For another, it’s an exceptionally fun challenge, focusing on excellent boss battles. The one-more-go compulsion is real as, while the game can be tough, it’s rarely punishing, with short multi-layered fights that do a good job of teaching you how to improve. Throw in local co-op and some great platforming challenges and Cuphead is as exquisite as dining on your fine china.

Inside

While Playdead’s harrowing puzzle-platformer was a natural follow-up to Limbo, with smart environmental challenges and the blackest wit, Inside was a far more accomplished piece of work. The young boy you control was always on the run from … something, scampering through forests and clambering chainlink fences While roiling industry formed the backdrop for many ingenious one-hit puzzles. And then… that ending; a startling, evocative denouement that lingers long after the credits roll.

Best for Anyone seeking to experience the fragility of life via the medium of a fragile boy.

Hitman

After a turbulent few years, everyone’s favourite baldy assassin is back to what he does best: offing bad guys in quiet, complex and creative ways. Agent 47’s latest game was a treat in episodic format, with each new mission and location a splendid chance to perfect your methods. Sapienza, in particular, was a fabulous creation, giving you multiple routes to your target in a glorious Amalfi coast setting. But now the full ‘season’ is here, there is a terrific consistency to its excellence. A double assassination at a Paris fashion show, a visit to Marrakesh, sneaking around a classical home in Hokkaido, Japan.

Best for Assassins and those who like to murder people with exploding golf balls.

Forza Horizon 3

This open-world entry into the Forza Horizon series shows off how more serious racing doesn't have to be dry (although it can be over a desert). There's a place for both the absurd crashes of games like Burnout and the much more straight driving of Forza Horizon 3. Even if the dry stylings of most Forza games aren't your style, Forza Horizon 3 will surely still impress.

Destiny 2

It feels odd to say that it's been a few years since Destiny hit us, but now we're at a point where Destiny 2 is out. And, as you'd expect, it's brilliant - the sci-fi shooter/MMORPG combination works great now, the story is a captivating if slightly campy space opera, and the combat just feels phenomenal. Oh, Destiny, why did we doubt you?

Best for Those who like to shoot baddies with big guns and save the world. In space.

Ori and the Blind Forest

Despite being one of the older indie games on this list, Ori and the Blind Forest remains a must-play on the Xbox One. With one of the most beautiful art styles in games, and an emotional story to experience, it manages to sit in just the right place with regards to its difficult, providing enough challenge for experience players and an accessible series of main areas to explore so that anyone not as good at games isn't left out.

Best for Anyone who wants to have a good cry in awe of a game's visual style.

Metal Gear Solid V

A drastic departure for Metal Gear Solid conjures up one of the series best. This is a sprawling, malleable open-world Afghanistan with Snake exploring and infiltrating at will. You have a vast array of options on approaching each target encampment --stealth, force, distraction-- buoyed by reactive enemies and a formidable arsenal. Away from missions you can build your own army by recruiting enemy combatants and influencing construction on your off-shore base, Outer Heaven. Also you can catapult a sheep back to your helicopter to start a farm.

Best for Wannabe pseudo-guerrilla warfare leaders with a tendency for stealth amongst the moments of brutal murder.

Dark Souls 3

The question of which Dark Souls game is the best is tough - is it the first, that focused but unpolished concept, or the third, the point where all of the edges have been smoothed over? Do the imperfections of Dark Souls actually help it?

That's a whole debate that could go on for a long time and into some intense philosophical concepts, so let's just say that Dark Souls 3 is fantastic, and leave it at that.

Halo 5: Guardians

It's more Halo. That's all you really need to know - the newest and most polished installment into the series. It's also a return to form in its storyline, bringing back some of the more intense and interesting beats that we missed in Halo 4. The contrast between Master Chief and Locke makes things interesting, and the shooting itself is as good as ever.

Fallout 4

A role-playing game of enormous scale, Fallout 4 puts you in the ruins of post-apocalyptic Boston, asking you to survive against crazed raiders and radiation-mutated beasts. Its combat is much improved over its predecessor, while its artful construction of a nuclear-ravaged world is curiously beautiful. The wasteland is packed with distraction, while its systems give you enormous freedom to influence the world. And while it may lose a little of Fallout’s traditional depth, it is arguably the most accessible entry point to the series for newcomers.

Best for Those who like power and control… and have a lot of time on their hands.

Titanfall 2

It's easy to dismiss a game like Titanfall 2, at first glance. While you may be mistaken to think it's just yet another futuristic shooter, it's really the best in class for it. One level in particular, Effect and Cause, is one of the most impressive levels in a first-person shooter ever. Trust us on this.

Best for Anyone who likes space shooting and wants to play the best of the best in that genre.

NieR: Automata

A superb action game with fast, frenetic combat that showcases Platinum at their best. Whether you’re fighting giant robots or exploring a devastated world, NieR: Automata brings thrills and melancholy in equal measure. The combat systems are a vast improvement over its predecessor, but NieR: Automata retains the level of introspective weirdness and genre-bending experimentation that made the first game so notable. There’s so much to discover, so many twists and turns, and it’s all packaged together with Platinum’s trademark prowess. Whether you’re a fan of Drakengard and NieR or new to the series, Automata is a must-play.

Best for Those who like challenging action and some rather odd storylines that culminate beautifully. Or if you like crying over sad androids.